The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-08-11
HIS WIFE'S PRESENT.

L was Just setting out on my daily
round of professional visits, when q
note was handed to me from my
friend, DR.. Ware.
He was to be unavoidably absent for
two days, during which time | had
agreed to look after his patients, in
addition to my own.
This note, hastily written in the
moment of departure, requested me
to call and see the person mentioned
i'll the second note which he enclosed.
This last was signed "A Lady," and
was written in a remarkably neat and
elegant hand, on cream-tinted paper
1t was simply request that Dr.
Ware would be kind enough to call
and see q poor woman, Mrs. Gorse,
living at the cottage, No. II, on the
left of the school-house On Grove-road
And as my way this morning lay in
that direction, | concluded to at once
comply with the doctors request.
He and | had been fellow-students
and close friends, and made point of
accommodating each other in profess
sional matters of this kind.
found No y, neat little cottage,
smothcreG in woodbine and morning.
glory, and with Il garden in the rear,
well supplied with common vegetables
and flowers. Certainly, though hum
bic, there was no sign of poverty
about it.
On knocking and obeying the re-
quest to Come inI' | found the owner
of the place-a sharp-eyed little old
woman of perhaps sixty-seated alone
beside small fire and suffering with
rheumatism.
She had been ''taken," she said,
since her daughter had been called
away, about a week ago, on some
business matter.
She was now every day expecting
her return, but meanwhile had no
help or attendance, except when a
neighbor would occasionally drop in.
She had never applied to physician,
considering that she could not afford
it, but depended on 'harbs and sich
like" though having no objection to
receiving doctors attendance gratis.
A young lady had come to her house
the day before for shelter from the
rain, and had promised to send a
doctor, and she supposed that l was
he.
SO, after making some inquiries,
writing prescription, and informing
her where she could obtain the medi-
| cine free" | rose to leave, when my
attention was attracted by curious
looking object on a table near the
window.
1t was a dark and very dirty metal
bowl, or vase, of peculiar shape and
design, supported on sort of tripod
formed of three gritfins, whose fore
claws formed the feet of the tripod.
On examination / discovered the
metal to be bronze, and that the vessel,
| whatsoever it had been intended for,
was apparently very old, and had seen
rough usage, though still in a good
| state of preservation.
AT once | was aroused into interest;
| for be it known that | had what my
wife called ''mania" for old and cur
ious objects, and had already good
cabinet collection at home.
In answer to my inquiries, Mrs.
| Gorse said that the bowl" as she
called it, had belonged to her mother,
who left it with ''other rubbish" in a
closet, until she herself brought it out,
thinking it would do to hold water for
the chickens.
On my inquiring what she would
take for it, she hesitated.
There's a young lady as wants to
buy it," she said, land sort o greed
to let her have it."
Then looking shrewdly at me from
| out of her sharp, black eyes she added:
How much 'ud you give for itp"
If you have promised to let the
lady have it," l replied, "you can
hardly feel yourself at liberty to dis
| pose of it to another person"
well, you see, it amt downright
bargain. The thing amt sold yet, be-
cause she didn't have the money along
| with her. She said she'd come back
and GIT it; but sence she amt KEEP her
word, | calkerlate | kin sell it to any
body like. Whatll yer give for it?'
''Was this the same lady who came
here yesterday?"
close questioning, and replied reluc-
tantly:
Yes, twas her. don't hardly ev-
er expect to see her ag'in. She said
| she'd give me a good price. What
Will you give now?
Somewhat disgusted with her in
gratitude and ayarice, and unwilling
to take advantage of the lady in de-
priving her of her bargain, declined
to purchase.
So, promising to call again, left
the cottage, though not without a
wistful backward glance at the bronze
| vase.
Two days after this, DR.. Ware re-
turned, and Immediately called at my
office. gave him a favorable account
of his patients, and mentioned the
case of Mrs. Gorse, when he said:
by the way, Stanton, have you any
idea who the lady was who left that
note for me? happened to be at the